An adults-only production of Rapunzel is coming to Darlington next month, and performers have been around town showcasing their incredible dancing abilities.
balletLORENT is one of the most well-regarded storytelling dance companies in Europe. For their 30th Anniversary tour, they are presenting two bold retellings of a well-known fairytale Rapunzel by poet Carol Ann Duffy.
On Wednesday, May 17, the performers will stage 'Rapunzel After Dark' exclusively for adult audiences (16+) at the Darlington Hippodrome.
The next day (May 18), the dancers will perform 'Rapunzel', a fast-paced and dynamic performance that captivates family audiences with emotional storytelling at its heart.
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The adult show is billed as "a story for those who have a passion for the horror and hope in humanity", and is told from the perspective of the Wife, her Husband and a solitary gardening Witch, all of whom share a profound grief-stricken longing for a child.
This week, dancers from the show have been visiting locations around town.
On Thursday, April 20, dancers from the show visited Cockerton Library to attend Rhymetimes – a fun story session for one to four-year-olds - and entertained the children with dancing and movement.
Natalie MacGillivray (Rapunzel), Gavin Coward (Prince), Emma Savoldelli-Harris (Creature) and James Mounsey (Creature) had great fun getting the kids moving.
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Then, the fairytale duo popped into the Orb micropub, on Conniscliffe Road, for a spot of light refreshment.
The pair stopped by to try out a glass of Orb's own Arran Barrel Aged Quadrupel, which at 10.8% may put hairs on Rapunzel's chest as well as on her head.
Micropub owner Ian Clugh is father-in-law to composer Murray Gold, who has written a cinematic orchestral soundtrack for balletLORENT's Rapunzel, and was previously musical director for Dr Who for 13 years. Clugh opened the cosy pub, which has a capacity of just 60, on Coniscliffe Rd in 2017.
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